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Aleksandar Mitrovic proves again that Tottenham should have signed him this summer

Despite an impressive second-half of the season on loan with Fulham in the Championship, which was followed up by a decent 2018 World Cup campaign for Serbia, suitors for Aleksandar Mitrovic were seemingly few and far between this summer even if it was clear that he had no future at Newcastle United.

His attitude and questionable temperament is probably one of the reasons that more clubs weren’t taking a look at the 23-year-old, who scored 12 goals in 17 Championship appearances to help the Cottagers return to the Premier League.

The centre-forward eventually completed a £22m move to join the west London outfit on a permanent basis at the end of July, where he once again links up with compatriot Slavisa Jokanovic.

Mitrovic has started the 2018/19 season in outstanding form for both club and country, netting four in four for the newly-promoted Fulham – including one in a 3-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley – while he scored a brilliant brace for Serbia in their 2-2 draw with Romania on Monday night.

The 23-year-old showed how clinical he can be and how he can score all types of different goals by netting twice – including one screamer – from three shots on target, while he also proved he is developing his all-round game by providing one key pass and winning two aerial duels.

One of Spurs’ biggest issues in recent seasons has been that they have failed to find an able back-up to Harry Kane with the likes of Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente failing to make the grade, which makes it more of a mystery that they didn’t a punt on Mitrovic this summer to try and push the England international even further.

He would have got plenty of game time with all of the competitions the north London club, who may well already have their Mousa Dembele replacement following 6ft 2in star’s latest display on international duty, find themselves competing in.

Fulham are keen to open talks with Ryan Sessegnon over a new contract with the teenage star’s current deal expiring in less than two years.

The 18-year-old has proved himself one of the best young players in England during the last two seasons and the club want to secure his long-term future as a matter of urgency.

Sessegnon showed his commitment to Fulham by signing professional terms when he was 17, even though England’s and Europe’s elite were keen to take him. His judgement proved sound as he helped Fulham reach the Premier League last season, and started their first two games in the top flight.

Fulham spent more than £100m in the transfer market this summer but Sessegnon remains arguably their most valuable asset and a new deal would be expected to reflect that status. The arrival of players like Jean-Michael Seri and Aleksandar Mitrovic means the wage bill has increased in size.

Even though Fulham made it clear they would not sell Sessegnon last summer, the interest in him remains, particularly given his contractual position.

At present, Sessegnon’s sole focus is on establishing Fulham in the Premier League, though it was a surprise to see manager Slavisa Jokanovic leave him out of the starting XI in each of their last two league fixtures.

Brothers Steven and Ryan Sessegnon. (Getty Images)

Both Tottenham and Manchester United showed strong interest in Sessegnon, while Spurs also looked at a deal to take Ryan’s twin, Steven, to north London along with his brother. Tottenham are thought to have enquired about Sessegnon in each of the last two summers.

Sessegnon was a surprise contender for a place in England’s World Cup squad last summer and will be followed closely by manager Gareth Southgate throughout this campaign. He came on as a second-half substitute for England Under-21s in their 2-1 win in Latvia last night.

“We made stupid mistakes” – Fulham player not entirely happy with international

Even though Aleksandar Mitrovic is personally having a great start to the season, his scoring form hasn’t been able to bring many victories for his teams.

For Fulham, he’s scored four goals in four Premier League matches. But the Whites have only won one game so far.

Now for Serbia, the striker scored two goals in the game against Romania on Monday, and still, all his side got was a 2-2 draw.

Mitrovic spoke to the local press after the match, and showed that he wasn’t very happy with the goals his team conceded.

“Obviously two goals were not enough. We made stupid mistakes. It’s good that this has happened right now, at the beginning of the competition. We have plenty to do,” he said (via Sportska Centrala).

To open the scoring, Mitrovic took advantage of a big confusion in the box and, even lying on the ground, he was able to score a goal.

“One of the strangest goals I’ve scored in my career is the first, but it’s important that it counts. Now we have to analyse the games and see the mistakes. We can learn a lot from these matches.”

Mitrovic had already played on Friday, when Serbia beat Lithuania 1-0, and he was the one who made the assist for the goal.

The 23-year-old now returns to London, where Fulham prepare to make a trip to Manchester, as they are facing City on Saturday. Should he find the back of the net and feel his defenders have let him down, he probably won’t be quite as open.

The Premier League has announced Saturday (15 September) afternoon’s match officials between Manchester City and Fulham.

The fixture is the first since the international break, and I for one can’t wait.

The game at the Etihad kicks off at 3 pm BST.

Referee

Stuart Attwell

Assistants

Constantine Hatzidakis and Richard West

Fourth official

Martin Atkinson

Stuart Attwell, a self-confessed Luton Town fan was the youngest person ever to officiate in England’s top division, aged 25. Four years later and following a string of boo-boos Stuart found himself demoted from the referee’s Select Group and back in the Football League.

During his short spell living life in the lower leagues Attwell, a graduate from Staffordshire University took on-board advice from his peers and sought experience in Japan’s J. League.

Atwell returned to top-level action a couple of years ago.

Season 2018/19

Out of two PL and Championship fixtures, Stuart has brandished 18 yellow and no red cards.

Recent games involving Manchester City

The last time the 35-year-old took charge of a City game was way back during the 2015/16 season (one match). The Premier League fixture was away at Sunderland (Tuesday 2 February 2016) when Sergio scored the only goal of the game.

On that occasion Sagna, Otamendi, Fernandinho, and Aguero received cautions.

Slovakia had moved into a 2-1 lead with what looked like being a decisive strike in the final minute of normal time, only for Iceland's Albert Gudmundsson to make it 2-2 three minutes into stoppage time.

With Slovakia needing a win to keep their hopes of reaching a qualification playoff alive, Rodak was sent up from the back.

After a corner was over hit, Rodak reacted first to a back post knock down to head home, sparking glorious scenes of celebration.

Rodak is currently first choice 'keeper at Rotherham, where he has spent the last two seasons on loan, helping the club win promotion to the Championship via the League One playoffs in May.

The 21-year-old kept a clean sheet on his sole senior appearance for Fulham, in the 2-0 EFL Cup win at Wycombe last season.

Luca Ashby-Hammond tasted glory with England's Under-18s as they lifted the trophy in the Limoges Tournament. The young ‘keeper featured in all three of England’s victories against Russia, Holland and France.

The Three Lions overcame their semi-final opponents of last years’ Euros – Holland, which was particularly satisfying for Ashby-Hammond.

“It was a very good experience, to win any tournament is always good, especially for England.” He told Fulhamfc.com “It’s always good to beat Holland who knocked us out of the Euros last year, so it was an added bonus.

“Our coach said to us before the Holland game ‘go and try and restore some pride’ after losing on penalties to them in the Euro Under-17s semi-final. We dominated the game and fully deserved our win against them.”

The 17-year-old relished the experience of International duty and performed excellently, keeping two clean sheets in three games.

“Unfortunately, I conceded one goal over the three games, but if you take a step back, that’s not bad going. Two clean sheets over the three games is something I’m very proud of. We got ahead against France, but they equalised with a very good header. At that point, the French crowd got behind them, which made them the toughest test over the tournament and it was pleasing to overcome them.

“I had a few experiences of playing in front of bigger crowds in the Euros, but playing against a crowd who were against us was a different test.”

Not only has he had a good experience with England, but he has broken into the Under-23s team at the Club.

“It is close to first team action in the Under-23s. When we play at the established teams in front of crowds in the Check-A-Trade trophy it is a good test to show us the next level. The team we have here is very good and it will take us a bit of time to hit our stride, we had a poor start last year and went on a good run later. Once we get a few games under our belts we will gel together.

“I have had a few games at that level and been in or around the first team – so I have that taste for that now. I’ve matured as an individual plus I get to know what it’s like at the sharp end.”

Sane to start, Kompany to return? The starting XI changes Man City could make against Fulham

Manchester City beat Newcastle last time out, but adapted their formation to combat the visitor's defensive approach.

Premier League action finally returns on Saturday, and Manchester City fans will be able to see their side in a 3pm Saturday kick-off for the first time in over nine months.

The last time City had a 'traditional' kick-off time in the league was on 6 January as a Sergio Aguero double, plus goals from Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva, secured a 4-1 win over Burnley.

This weekend, Fulham are the visitors to the Etihad, and will provide Pep Guardiola's side with another tough test.

Guardiola has had a free weekend to prepare for the game, and before the international break he suggested that the real season will begin now.

Starting with the Fulham fixture, City will embark on up to 23 games in 98 days before Christmas.

That gives Guardiola some big decisions to make - especially considering City open their Champions League campaign on Wednesday against Lyon.

So who could feature on Saturday?

Raheem Sterling is a doubt after withdrawing from England duty with a back problem.

If Sterling is not available, it could open the door for Leroy Sane to make his first start of the season.

Sane was left out of the matchday squad all together against Newcastle, but he featured as a late substitute for Germany last week. He then left the national team camp early for the birth of his daughter.

Alternatively, Bernardo Silva is adept at playing in a wide position, and returns to City having played in both of Portugal's recent fixtures.

Up front, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus started against Newcastle. While Guardiola rarely starts with two strikers, he may be tempted to keep the same formation given that neither player left on international duty.

Riyad Mahrez came in for some criticism after the Newcastle fixture, and is another player who could drop to the bench, but without Kevin De Bruyne and potentially Sterling, Guardiola's midfield options are not what he would prefer.

Oleksandr Zinchenko was Ukraine's hero last week, scoring a last-minute winner, and will have forced himself into Guardiola's thinking alongside Fabian Delph who was solid for England against Switzerland.

In defence, Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker both provided assists for their countries in the break, but fellow full-back Danilo is back in training and will push both for a starting spot.

John Stones and Aymeric Laporte have established themselves as first choice centre-backs this season, although Vincent Kompany may be preferred against Fulham given the physicality of striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Guardiola has plenty to ponder, and next week's Lyon game will surely figure in his thinking.

But whatever the starting XI, Guardiola has assembled a squad capable of rotation and carrying out his plans.

Games for the Weekend 15/09So this weekend we face what will be the sternest test so far with a trip to the Etihad Stadium to face last seasons run-away Premier League Champions Manchester City.

With the ‘international break’ over hopefully the team will have had some constructive time to ‘gel’ and one or two of the injured players should be nearer match fitness.Man City away will probably be one of the games that we don’t really expect to get anything from, I’m hoping that, at least, we give a good account of ourselves and really ‘have a go’ as Wolves did a few weeks ago, then you never know what can happen we may surprise all of the pundits?With Tom Cairney out for the next few weeks it will be a chance for the ‘new boys’ Jean Michaël Seri and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa to show why their the club’s most expensive ever signings, wouldn’t it be something to see their value against ‘City?Mitrović and Schürrle are being to work really well together and if young Ryan Sessegnon gets to start then I think this is a game where he can really shine.

Ligue 1 midfielder reveals Fulham have been following him ‘for a while’, but didn’t make summer offer

Signing André-Frank Zambo Anguissa from Marseille, Fulham addressed an area of the pitch where they were lacking in numbers.

The Cameroon international ended up costing them around €30m, which the Ligue 1 side subsequently spent on recruiting Kevin Strootman.

However, he wasn’t the only player on their list, as Saint-Etienne’s Ole Selnaes was the subject of interest from the Cottagers, as revealed by the player himself.

In an interview with But! Football Club in France, the Norway international was asked about approaches from Fulham.

He said: “That club has been following me for a while, even if nobody came to speak to me directly. I didn’t receive an offer. My work is here, I’m focused on Saint-Etienne. I’m in the best conditions to develop, to improve. I’m happy here, I’m focused on my season.”

Despite this, the 24-year-old admitted he has bigger ambitions than playing for the French club, hoping that he’ll maybe one day be ‘good enough to play for top club’.

As for a move to England, it isn’t a particular goal of his, but why not?

For now, however, he just wants to help Saint-Etienne reach their goals, which could be as lofty as returning to Europe, although they’ll need to improve on their form, which is currently three draws and a win in their first four games.

The Premier League's shortage of England-qualified players is a complex issue — unless you manage their club

For those 20 men, it's easy: If an Englishman is better than a foreigner, he gets in your team. The problem is, many just aren't

There's now another reason to despair at an international break being enforced three weeks into a new season.

Thanks to England’s inability to continue their World Cup over-performing act by beating the nation who went to Russia as second favourites, we’re holding the inquest we usually have after they’re dumped out at the quarter-finals.

And a consensus seems to have been reached — that Gareth Southgate will never be able to pick a team capable of breaking down top international sides while Premier League managers keep denying Englishmen the necessary playing time.

Southgate himself brought it up before the 2-1 defeat to Spain, by lamenting that only 30% of the players who started in the last round of Premier League fixtures were English, compared with an average of 33% last season.

In what appeared a clear case of getting your excuses in first, the media-savvy Southgate said he wasn’t lecturing anyone, just highlighting what is a complex, but crucial, issue.

And he’s right.

The issue is riddled with complexities, but viewed from the perspective of a club manager it’s a very simple one: If an English player is better than, or more suited to his system, than a foreigner, he’ll play him.

The problem is, too many aren’t.

It’s fine pointing out that since playing well in flashes at the World Cup, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has completed only 33 Premier League minutes for Chelsea this season.

But how can new boss Maurizio Sarri be criticised when he sees better midfield options, and his side is unbeaten?

How could you knock Mauricio Pochettino for not giving Danny Rose or Harry Winks enough playing time, when he has an exemplary track record of bringing through young Englishmen and he signed no foreign players in the summer to thwart their chances.

England Under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd says he’s worried about Dominic Solanke not getting enough games under Jurgen Klopp. But last season the striker played in 27 games for Liverpool (albeit nearly always coming off the bench), yet scored only once.

Raheem Sterling is up against world-class opposition for a starting-place at Manchester City, but the competition only seems to have taken him up a level — which is why Pep Guardiola loves him.

There is now talk Marcus Rashford should leave Manchester United to get regular football which will make him the finished product.

But how did that work out for Danny Welbeck?

Do we now blame Unai Emery for rightly believing that Pierre-Emerick Auebameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are better than him?

Since the beginning of last season, Jose Mourinho has played Rashford in 38 games, and he’s still only 20. Why should he drop down a level from United to get more game time to suit England, when that’s the last thing he or his manager wants?

If Rashford backs himself to make it at the club he’s supported all of his life, why don’t we?

In a perfect world, there would be more Englishmen starting games at the top of the Premier League, but modern football is far from perfect.

There are enough examples at those elite clubs to show that if Englishmen are talented enough, and mentally-strong enough, they’ll break into the first team and stay in it.

And if they’re not good enough or strong enough? Well, they probably don’t have what it takes to break down the best international sides anyway.

This Saturday, Fulham make the trip to the north-west to take on the reigning Premier League title holders, Manchester City.

It is a game that the pundits expect Fulham to lose, but then again is football not a game full of shocks and surprises?

If Fulham can go to the Etihad Stadium and get a result it would be a marvellous achievement, but, just the prospect of facing the champions in their own backyard is something we were dreaming of this time last year.

Fulham may not get a result, but this fixture gives us the perfect opportunity to gauge just how far we’ve come in the last twelve months.

Ahead of the game, we’re giving you the opportunity to predict the result, in our poll, it’ll give us the chance to see if that eternal optimism spirit is alive and well in the Fulham camp.

With the fixture looming large, we’re also able to bring you the names of those chosen to officiate in what should be an entertaining fixture:

Keyhole surgery on his knee last April has left Manchester City's Sergio Aguero feeling pain-free and strong for the first time in years.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero feels the strongest he has in years following successful knee surgery at the end of last season.

The Argentina international had an operation on a troublesome issue in April and missed his side's final six Premier League matches of 2017-18.

The 30-year-old has started this term in encouraging form, though, scoring twice in the Community Shield win over Chelsea before netting a hat-trick in the 6-1 thrashing of Huddersfield Town.

Although he has failed to score in City's three other league games to date, Aguero is feeling the benefit of playing pain-free for the first time in years.

"Honestly, I feel fantastic," he said, as quoted by City's official website. "Dr Cugat did amazing work with my knee and now I don't feel any sort of discomfort.

"During the past few years, I felt pains at times and when last season came to an end, we decided it would be best to start treatment. And the results were very positive.

"I'm not sure if this is the best start of a season for me, but it's the best I've felt in years. It shows in my game. The challenge now is keeping up this level, and I'll be working non-stop to maintain it."

City resume domestic action on Saturday, when they host last season's Championship play-off final winners Fulham.

Pep Guardiola's side were held to a 1-1 draw at Wolves last month and Aguero is keen not to underestimate another of the promoted teams.

"They have a long-standing tradition in England of being a good footballing team and now they've won a place back in the Premier League," he said.

"It's no secret this is one of the most competitive tournaments in the world, played at the highest of levels, so it doesn't matter if they are fresh from promotion or not – they've earned their place here."

Over on the forum we’ve been discussing which team we’d choose to play against Man City this weekend, here are a couple of team selections…

whitejc

I think Betts hasn’t done anything that would cause him to be dropped, I know thats not a ‘ringing endorsement’ but I’m not sure there’s a lot of difference between all 3 goalies?

There’s been no word on Ream so I have to assume he’s still not fit, he needs to get game time ASAP as we need a consistent back 4.

I’ve selected KMac as Tom will still be out? Seri one of the first names on the team sheet and Anguissa has shown so really good touches

I’d put Ryan on from the start, Vietto hasn’t done much wrong (apart from giving away that pen) but I believe this game is one that Ryan can really shine. Mitro is the first name on the team sheet and Schurrle has shown glimpses of how good he was/can be.

milo

Sessegnon to switch with Schurrle and provide cover for weaker flank depending on how City attack.

Notable inclusions:Fosu-Mensah gets one more chance to keep his place after losing his man on a number of important occasions last weekend. Le Marchand however does lose his for giving the ball away for two goals in two subsequent weeks. Both Odoi and MLM seem to take up good positions and make intelligent interceptions, but are prone to errors that get punished at this level. The decision to play Odoi instead came down to the fact he hasn’t made one yet this season.

In midfield, Johansen fresh from two goals for Norway midweek and an assist against Exeter previously comes in to provide some box to box counter attacking threat.

In attack, Sessegnon’s defending and his reputation (ie bizarrely as a fast paced winger hugging the touch lines) will be useful to peg back City’s full back on that side. Kamara to come on as we tire around 70 minutes.

Tottenham news: Fulham plot Ryan Sessegnon contract talks as Spurs eye up raid for wingerTOTTENHAM target Ryan Sessegnon could be set for contract talks with Fulham as the club bid to keep their young star.

The 18-year-old burst onto the first team scene at 16 and helped inspire the Cottagers to promotion last season.

Sessegnon is one of the most highly thought of English prospects in the game and Spurs remain favourites to land the young talent.

Manchester United are also monitoring the situation.

The left-sided player signed professional terms with Fulham when he was 17 and is adored by manager Slavisa Jovanovic.

Now Fulham want to tie down Sessegnon to an improved deal to extend his stay in West London.

The club have shown that they have funds at their disposal having spent over £100m on transfers this summer.

The likes of Jean-Michael Seri, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andre Schurrle have seen a much increased wage bill on the Thames.

It’s hard to see Sessegnon turning down a bigger contract, particularly considering the minutes he’s getting in the Premier League.

He’s started two of Fulham’s four league outings so far this campaign.

Sessegnon had been a late wildcard contender to sneak into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

The youngster is yet to receive a senior call up and was a second half substitute for England Under-21s as the Three Lions beat Latvia this week.

Fulham FC Players on International Duty: September 2018Let’s recap how they all performed while there was no Premier League football

Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

The International Break is finally over, but that doesn’t mean there was no football while the Premier League was on hold. Plenty of Fulham’s best were on display around the world during these past two weeks. Let’s take a look at how they all performed while representing their respective national teams.

Senior Teams

G Marcus Bettinelli (England/0 caps)

D Cyrus Christie (Ireland/18 caps, 2 goals)

M Jean-Michael Seri (Ivory Coast/19 caps, 1 goal)

M Stefan Johansen (Norway/43 caps, 5 goals)

M Kevin McDonald (Scotland/3 caps)

M Floyd Ayite (Togo/37 caps, 10 goals)

M Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon/12 caps, 2 goals)

M Ibrahima Cisse (Guinea/1 caps)

M Mattias Kait (Estonia/16 caps, 5 goals)

F Aleksander Mitrovic (Serbia/42 caps, 19 goals)

We start with the senior players on the team, where Fulham are very proud to be home to nine players that represented their countries. What’s amazing about this is that that total could have been even greater if it weren’t for the injuries to Tim Ream and Tom Cairney. Even so, nine will do and all have them have contributed well for their respective national teams.

Kevin McDonald went on to triple his number of appearances for Scotland while Ibrahima Cisse played his first ever game for his native Guinea. Jean-Michael Seri, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Floyd Ayite also featured for their respective countries in hopes of qualification for the 2019 African Cup of Nations.

Over in Europe, Stefan Johansen continued as captain of Norway in their first two games of the UEFA Nations League while also scoring two goals in their victory over Cyprus. The new competition was introduced this past week to make National Team games more meaningful with teams facing against others with roughly the same talent level. The competition features a final tournament for the winners of the four group winners from League A, promotion and relegation for every league, and will serve as seeding for Euro 2020.

For Johansen’s case, his country’s win over Cyprus was followed by defeat to Bulgaria in their group down in League C. While staying in that league, Mattias Kait was initially called-up for Estonia but had to withdraw due to injury. However, Aleksander Mitrovic continues to showcase why he’s always on fire with both of Serbia’s two goals against Romania. With that, he now has 19 international goals in 42 appearances and is slowly moving up the ranks as among the most lethal center forwards in the continent. Check out the highlights below and feel free to try your best to find a better goal over the past week than Mitrovic’s second goal (at about 5:23 of the video below).

Over in League B, Cyrus Christie featured in both of Ireland’s fixtures against Wales and Poland. He was deployed as a wide midfielder in a 4-4-2 in a 4-1 shallacking to Wales, but results improved when he returned to a more comfortable wingback position in Martin O’Neill’s 3-5-2 formation in their 1-1 draw with Poland.

Lastly, we need to talk about Marcus Bettinelli. Not since Bobby Zamora has a Fulham played for England, but it is quite a notable distinction once you consider that 1966 World Cup winner George Cohen and former England captain Johnny Haynes have played for the club. It is quite a reward for the goalkeeper that has continued to fight for his place as Fulham’s starting goalkeeper for the past four seasons. Now with 100 club appearances under his belt, Bettinelli will one day hope to actually play with the England crest on his search in future international breaks. Once everyone is healthy, it will be a tough stretch for “Betts” to beat Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Tom Heaton, Alex McCarthy and Jack Butland (and maybe Joe Hart), but it’s not like he hasn’t triumphed over adversity before.

Youth Teams

G Marek Rodak (Slovakia Under-21s/7 caps, 1 goal)

M Jan Dugar Thorsteinsson (Iceland Under-21s/8 caps, 1 goal)

M Ryan Sessegnon (England Under-21s/3 caps)

D Steven Sessegnon (England Under-19s/1 cap)

F Terry Ablade (Finland Under-19s/2 caps)

G Luca Ashby-Hammond (England Under-18s/0 caps)

Harvey Elliott (England Under-16s/0 caps)

While it was great to see such representation of Senior Internationals playing at Craven Cottage, many will wonder when it will be Ryan Sessegnon’s time to shine at Wembley Stadium. Fortunately, the 18-year old boy wonder was gaining more experience at Under-21 level as he was a part of England qualification to next Summer’s European Championship. Expect more to come from Sessegnon at this competition if the former were to not happen all season.

Meanwhile, that is not a misprint at all when it is noted that Marek Rodak has scored a goal at Under-21. That marker came in last weekend’s outing against Jon Dagur-Thorsteinsson’s Iceland off of a 94th minute winner off of a corner kick. It was a major victory for Rodak’s Slovakia side, who could still qualify for the Euros as among the best runners-up spots from Group 2.

Meanwhile, both Steven Sessegnon and 16-year old newcomer Terry Ablade represented their respective countries for the first time at Under-19 level. Qualification for the European Championships at that age group begin in October or November, depending on the groups each National Team is in. Luca Ashby-Hammond was also called up for the England Under-18s but did not feature in any of their friendly appearances. Lastly, while not being a part of any Internationals last August, 16-year old Harvey Elliott is one to watch for the future as both Chelsea and Barcelona are believed to have started having him in their scouting reports.

Cottage Talk: View Of The Opposition - Manchester CityTake a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

This episode is an interview with Richard Burns from the Blue Moon Podcast . He was on the show to give the Manchester City perspective on this upcoming match. This show is our preview episode for this match.

Who is this 15-year-old Fulham prodigy on Chelsea’s radar? A great find by Sarri?

Who is Chelsea target Harvey Elliot? A great spot by Maurizio Sarri?

Chelsea are without a shadow of a doubt one of the top teams in the Premier League. However, the club doesn’t have the same reputation when it comes to promoting youth to the first-team. The last academy product to make it through the ranks and become a big part of the Chelsea history was John Terry.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ethan Ampadu are currently in and around the Blues squad. However, they are struggling to become regular first-team players. The club, under the leadership of Maurizio Sarri, is trying to change that trend. They are expected to provide proper game time to young players so that they can develop.

According to the Sun, Chelsea are keeping close tabs on talented Fulham youngster Harvey Elliott.

Background

Elliott is an exciting 15-year-old midfielder who has come through the Fulham Academy. The midfielder has earned rave reviews at youth level and head coach Slavisa Jokanovic seems to be a big admirer of this prodigal talent. (Standard)

The youngster is currently involved with Fulham’s first-team squad during the international break.

What does the future hold

It is expected that Fulham would love to tie Elliot to a long deal at the club. But there are complications regarding this. The youngster will turn 16 in April 2019 and the FA rules prevent any player from signing a professional contract with a club until he is 17 years of age.

The report also claims that European heavyweights Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona are also interested in the player. He impressed everyone with his eye-catching performances for England U-15s in a youth tournament in Italy earlier this year.

For Elliott, the 18-year-old Ryan Sessegnon can be a massive source of inspiration. The latter has been a success at Fulham since signing professional terms with the club.

Verdict

Despite his young age, Sessegnon is one of the key members in the first-team, having helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League last season and Eliott can achieve great things as well. All he needs to do now is work hard and try to learn as much as possible from all his coaches.